Record Description

The collection consists of the following types of records from the Cuyahoga County courthouse in Cleveland:

Birth affidavits (1860 -1908)

Delayed birth registrations and corrections (1873 -1908)

Voter Registration/List of Electors (1890 -1900)

County officials, usually the county clerk, began keeping records from the time the county was formed. This collection is being published as images become available.

For a list of records by date and event currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

Record Content

Ohio Cuyahoga County Records

Birth Affidavit

Birth Certificate

The Birth Affidavits and the Delayed Birth Registrations and Corrections both vary in content from a simple form or court statement to detailed letters. They were used to add given names, correct spellings or dates, or correct names that had been changed in court. Some simply state that the child has turned 15 and graduated from 6th or 8th grade for a work permit or to quit school. Some are given to provide proof of citizenship for children who returned to Europe with their parents.

The Delayed Birth Registrations and Corrections relate to the Cleveland City Birth Records. The corrections should appear on the City Records themselves, but the documentation for the changes were filed separately as Delayed Birth Registrations and Corrections.

The biographical information that might be found in the delayed birth records and the Birth Affidavits can be:

Child’s name

Birth date

Birth place

Child’s gender

Parents' names

Parents' residence

Parents' birth place

Parents’ age

Father’s occupation

Number of children of mother

The Voter Registrations/List of Electors is a listing of those eligible to vote by alphabetical order with wards and precincts. The biographical information found in the List of Electors is:

Name of voter

Address

used as proof of American citizenship

How to Use the Record

To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:

The place where the birth occurred

The approximate date the event occurred

The name of the individual or individuals such as the names of the infant or the parent.

Search the Collection

To search the collection: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the "Record Type, Date Range and Volume" which takes you to the images

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination. Keep in mind:

There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.

You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.

Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

Using the Information

When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors. The following examples show ways you can use the information:

Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of parents' to search for their birth records.

Use the residence and names of the parents to locate census, church, and land records.

Use the occupations listed to find other types of records such as employment or military records.

Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.

Tips to Keep in Mind

The name of the officiator at the event may be a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county.

Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname as the infant; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.

Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have been born, married, or died in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.

When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800s.

There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another record.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

Check for variant spellings of the surnames.

Check for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.

Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

General Information About These Records

Each type of record within the county was created for a different purpose.

Delayed birth records were created to formalize a birth record where none previously existed or to change information on an existing birth record.

Voter registrations/ List of Electors were created to track those were eligible to vote and to ensure their right to vote.

The birth and marriage records are usually reliable depending upon the reliability of the informant. Voter records are usually reliable however, there have been cases of fictitious names included in the registers.

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